Free Web NovelChapter 208: Chapter 208
Aria’s POV
The warmth I’d shown earlier was gone.
The nanny paled, broke into a cold sweat, and hurried away with Lana.
Rowland straightened from the wall.
The living room fell into an eerie silence. The nanny’s footsteps faded, and Lana’s soft babbling drifted back faintly.
“Bad... bad...”
The word repeated, clumsy but clear.
Helen’s face darkened further. Margaret was stunned into silence.
Sophia rushed to support Helen, only to watch in horror as the swelling spread rapidly across Helen’s cheek, the breeze aggravating it. Helen clutched her face, her eyes rolling back as she nearly fainted.
“Sis! You’ve gone too far. How dare you slap aunt!” Sophia accused, glaring at me.
I stood there, calm on the surface, my dominance undisguised. Cold confidence wrapped around me like armor.
I leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with Aunt Helen. My voice was precise, each word deliberate.
“Insult my daughter,” I said softly, “and you will have me to contend with.”
Helen opened her mouth, then froze.
For the first time, she understood.
This wasn’t an empty threat.
She shivered, and Sophia stepped in front of her protectively. “I won’t let you threaten Aunt! Sis, I always thought you felt guilty about me taking your affection, so I tried to make up for it. But what did Aunt ever do wrong? Even if she spoke poorly, as the younger one, can’t you be more forgiving?”
I tilted my head slightly, studying her.
“Sophia,” I asked calmly, “do you even believe your own words?” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
I saw through Sophia the moment she opened her mouth.
I crossed my arms slowly, a lazy sneer curling my lips, as if she’d just told a particularly bad joke. My wolf scoffed inside me, unimpressed. Too much sugar, too little truth.
Sophia clearly hadn’t expected such open disdain. Color drained from her face, then rushed back in patches of red.
The next second, tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I only disagreed with how you treated our elders,” she said, her voice trembling just right. “I never imagined you’d think I had ulterior motives.”
I watched her cry without blinking.
Then her gaze slid toward the door and her eyes widened as she whispered in a soft and broken voice, “Nathan...”
For a brief heartbeat, the name made me pause.
Nathan. Was he back?
My wolf stilled, ears pricking, then I caught his scent and looked back. I mastered myself just as quickly, my expression smoothing back into ice.
Margaret and the others followed Sophia’s gaze, their faces lighting with hope.
Nathan was standing at the entrance in a sharply tailored suit watching the scene, his presence filling the space before he even spoke. His face was sculpted, his expression tight.
Nathan.
Margaret’s breath caught as she stared at him with what looked like admiration, as though she was captivated by his powerful alpha aura and his wealth.
How long had he been standing there? I wondered coldly.
Nathan stepped forward.
If earlier I’d merely been showing my teeth in warning, now I was pure frost. Every ounce of warmth drained from my face. My eyes went flat, lifeless and deadly, like a frozen lake hiding sharp ice beneath.
“If you invited them,” I said evenly, “then take them and go far away.”
The room seemed to drop several degrees.
“As long as we’re still married,” I continued, my voice steady and merciless, “Hemsworth Villa will not host people I don’t want to see.”
Nathan stopped.
Our gazes collided.
For a moment, something flickered across his face, a mix of shock, conflict and something that looked far more complicated than anger.
I stood there like a porcupine, every quill raised, daring him to come closer.
Before he could say anything, I turned away.
I walked toward the bedroom without another glance.
Inside, the nanny was pacing softly, trying to soothe Lana. My daughter was unusually fussy, her small cries sharp with unease.
Lana was normally calm, everyone in Hemsworth Villa adored caring for her. She was clever, expressive, often grabbing fingers with surprising strength. Just looking at her little face made people feel at peace.
But today, she wouldn’t settle. She felt it...the tension...the hostility...the threat.
The moment I stepped closer, her cries softened.
I spoke her name gently and almost instantly, she calmed.
My chest tightened.
She was protecting me, I realized.
How could someone so small be so aware?
My lips curved into a genuine smile for the first time that day, warmth finally seeping back into my chest. Holding Lana close, I felt lighter, as if the world, sharp and cruel as it was, had softened just a little in her presence.
